Tom Brady is no longer just the most decorated quarterback in NFL history. At 48, the seven-time Super Bowl champion has stepped fully into his next chapter as a FOX Sports analyst, and with that role has come a new level of openness. This week, Brady spoke candidly about his final NFL season and the personal toll it took, including the unraveling of his marriage to supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
Appearing on The Herd, Brady was asked about the possible retirement of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the kind of decision facing the 42-year-old veteran. Instead of offering generic advice, Brady used the moment to reflect on his own final year in football, a season shaped as much by life off the field as anything that happened on it.
A Final Season Defined by Personal Struggles
Brady did not sugarcoat the reality of his last NFL campaign. The 2022 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coincided with the breakdown of his 13-year marriage to Bundchen, a process that played out publicly and painfully in the middle of the year.
He explained that the emotional weight of what he was dealing with away from football drained him in ways he had never experienced before. “My last season was tough. I was going through a lot of just a personal family issue, and it was a challenge,” he said. “And it was a very… it just took a lot out of me in terms of my ability to continue to play.”
After 23 seasons in the league, Brady acknowledged that continuing to play through such upheaval was exhausting and ultimately unsustainable. By the time he walked away, he felt a sense of completeness. Brady had long set a personal goal of playing until age 45, and when he reached it, the sense of closure was real.
More importantly, he was ready to shift his focus to his children. He spoke about wanting to be present for their games and milestones after years of them spending countless Sundays watching him chase greatness. “I felt like, okay, now it’s time for me to be at all my kids’ games,” he explained, adding: “They’ve been enough of their dad’s games.”
The Retirement That Changed Everything
The end of Brady’s marriage traces back to a pivotal decision made after the 2021 season. Brady initially announced his retirement, only to reverse course weeks later and return for another year. That U-turn reportedly came after Bundchen had urged him to step away from football for good and prioritize family life.
“It’s hard to give up football, too,” he said. “It’s something that we’re really good at. It’s something you love to do.” Brady said being part of a team was major for him. “You love being out there with your teammates,” he added.
But his return to the NFL created tension that never fully eased. During the 2022 season, Bundchen filed for divorce, bringing their marriage to an end while Brady was still leading the Buccaneers. The timing made an already demanding season even more complex.
Looking back now, Brady has made it clear that he does not feel regret about retiring when he did. He felt he had given the game everything and no longer felt like he was leaving anything unfinished. “I felt like I owed it to my teammates and coaches to give them everything I had,” the former athlete said. “I wish it could have been a little bit better at the end, but it was just a unique situation, a unique year for me.”
Gisele Bundchen Moves Forward
Three years after their split, Bundchen has fully moved into a new phase of her life. On December 3, the Brazilian supermodel married her fiance Joaquim Valente, in a low-key ceremony. Valente is a jiu-jitsu instructor, and the two welcomed their first child together, a baby boy, shortly before the wedding.
Reports indicate that Bundchen and Valente began seeing each other during the latter stages of her divorce from Brady. According to sources, Brady was aware that the wedding was taking place and was not caught off guard when news of her second marriage became public.
Insiders say Brady is handling the situation calmly and remains focused on co-parenting. “It wasn't a secret to him. They still have to talk because of the kids, and important milestones like her getting married were something she wasn't going to keep secret. He's happy in a way that is simple: he's happy that she is happy,” a source told Daily Mail. “Down the line he might get married again, and he would want her to be OK with that, so he has to be OK about it,” the insider assured.
Tom Brady’s reflections offer a rare glimpse into the human cost of sustained greatness. His final season was not defined by wins or losses alone, but by personal sacrifice and difficult choices. Now, as he transitions into life beyond the huddle, Brady carries a perspective shaped by both triumph and loss.